1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plastic container having a so-called bottle-shaped configuration and, in particular, to a plastic container whose space is used efficiency, has self-sustainability and configuration maintainability, and is friendly to the environment in that it is easy for the container to be crushed. Further, the present invention relates to a plastic container which has excellent chemical resistance and dimensional accuracy and is especially useful as a container for photographic processing chemicals.
Further, the present invention relates to a method of and a device for supplying photographic processing chemicals using the plastic container having these characteristics.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a plastic container is used as a container for keeping chemicals, food, or the like from the viewpoints of weight reduction, impact resistance, chemical resistance, or the like.
Because a material of the plastic container is flexible, the thickness of the container is increased to some extent so as to maintain the strength thereof. Due to this strengthening, it is difficult for the plastic container to be crushed and, when the plastic container is used and disposed of thereafter (In the present invention, the concept of xe2x80x9cdisposalxe2x80x9d includes a case in which the plastic container is temporarily collected, stored, or the like for recycling.), there is a drawback in that the plastic container is bulky due to the existence of a wasteful volume of a hollow portion.
If the plastic container is made too thin in consideration of the easiness of crushing at the time of disposal, self-sustainability and configuration maintainability of the entire container are lowered.
In particular, when a container having a certain amount of height is used for its original purpose, i.e., to contain a content such as a liquid or the like, the lower portion of the container expands and the container becomes unstable so that it falls down from a simple impact.
Further, when a lid, a seal portion, or the like is opened as occasion demands in order to remove the contents from the plastic container and then the plastic container is turned upside down, there is a case in which internal pressure of the container is lowered due to the outflow of the liquid or the like, the plastic container is crushed, and thereby the configuration thereof is deformed. Because of this configuration deformation, it is less convenient to wash or carry out other treatments on the container thereafter, and there is a drawback in that the container cannot be reused.
On the other hand, it has been desired by various industries that the volume of the container, e.g., the volume of a container for photographic processing chemicals which supplies photographic processing chemicals, be increased. (In the present invention, xe2x80x9ccontainer for photographic processing chemicalsxe2x80x9d refers to a container used for the purpose of containing photographic processing chemicals.) From the viewpoint of space efficiency, the increase in volume is preferably effected by making the surface area of a bottom surface of the container as small as possible and increasing the height thereof, i.e., by forming an elongated container.
In order to make the elongated plastic container as thin as possible and secure self-sustainability and configuration maintainability, first, the configuration of the entire container should be cylindrical. When the container is cylindrical and contains contents such as a liquid, a force is not concentrated on one point of the side surface of the container and can be supported by the entire side surface thereof. Thus, it is preferable from the point of securing self-sustainability.
However, when, for example, the cylindrical plastic containers are packed in a case, there are large dead spaces between the containers such that the space efficiency is extremely poor. Moreover, since there is no vertex portion serving as a pillar on the side surface of the cylindrical plastic container, configuration maintainability thereof easily lowers, i.e., it is easy for the container to be crushed due to a decrease in the internal pressure thereof when, for example, the contents flow out. Thus, the configuration of the container can be deformed.
If the entire container is simply rectangular pipe-shaped so as to improve space efficiency, when the container is filled with contents such as a liquid, a force is concentrated on the particular portions of side surfaces of the container. Accordingly, it is easy for the entire container to be twisted and self-sustainability and configuration maintainability of the container are low.
In order to reinforce the rectangular pipe-shaped container against twisting, a slit-shaped thick portion, i.e., a so-called rib, may be provided on the planar portion of each of the side surfaces of the container. However, contrary to the original request for thinning, disposability of the container is reduced in the end. Further, when the ribs are provided inside the container, washability of the inner portion of the container is lowered at the time of disposal, and when the ribs are provided outside the container, the space efficiency is lowered due to projection of the ribs.
Consequently, a configuration of the elongated plastic container which satisfies all of the following characteristics, i.e., reducing the thickness, having self-sustainability and configuration maintainability, and having high space efficiency, is not yet obtained.
The above-described requests for the plastic container are especially strong for the container for photographic processing chemicals which supplies photographic processing chemicals to an automatic processor such as a film processor, a printer processor, or the like. The desirable plastic container is elongated, has a certain amount of volume, has high space efficiency, has self-sustainability and configuration maintainability, and is friendly to the environment so that it is easy for the container to be crushed. Further, the container for photographic processing chemicals has to be chemical resistant since the liquid to be contained therein, e.g., a development processing solution, is a strong alkali or the like. Moreover, the dimensions of the container which is loaded onto the automatic processor for supplying the photographic processing chemicals have to be accurate.
With the aforementioned in view, an object of the present invention is to provide a plastic container which has a certain amount of volume, has high space efficiency, has self-sustainability and configuration maintainability, and is friendly to the environment so that it is easy for the container to be crushed.
Further, another purpose of the present invention is to provide a plastic container which has excellent chemical resistance and dimensional accuracy, and which is particularly useful as a container for photographic processing chemicals.
Moreover, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of and a device for supplying photographic processing chemicals using the plastic container having these characteristics.
The above-described objects are achieved in accordance with the following aspects.
Namely, a first aspect of the present invention is a plastic container comprising a bottom portion which has a substantially rectangular bottom surface, a trunk portion which is formed by four planes which rise up vertically from respective sides of the bottom surface and which is substantially rectangular pipe-shaped, a mouth portion whose cross-sectional area of a portion surrounded by a horizontal cross section is smaller than the horizontal cross-sectional area of the trunk portion, and a shoulder portion which is narrowed down from the trunk portion to the mouth portion, wherein: the amount of the contents of the plastic container is 800 to 3000 ml; the average thickness of the trunk portion is 0.2 to 0.7 mm; the ratio of a length H of the trunk portion to a length L of a diagonal line of a rectangle formed by the outer periphery of a horizontal cross section of the trunk portion (H/L) is 2 to 4; and each of vertexes of the rectangle formed by the outer periphery of the horizontal cross section of the trunk portion forms an arc-shaped configuration so that a radius R of curvature of the vertex is 3 to 20 mm.
The plastic container having a so-called bottle-shaped configuration is a plastic container having an elongated configuration, wherein: the amount of the contents is 800 to 3000 ml, and the ratio of the length H of the trunk portion to the length L of the diagonal line of the rectangle formed by the outer periphery of the horizontal cross section of the trunk portion (H/L) is 2 to 4. Since the trunk portion is substantially rectangular pipe-shaped, high space efficiency is obtained. Since the average thickness of the trunk portion is small, i.e., 0.2 to 0.7 mm, the plastic container is friendly to the environment so that the container can be easily crushed. Because each of the vertexes of the rectangle formed by the outer periphery of the horizontal cross section of the trunk portion is formed arc-shaped so that the radius R of curvature of the vertex is 3 to 20 mm, good self-sustainability and configuration maintainability can be obtained.
Namely, the structure of the above-described first aspect of the present invention forms a configuration of the elongated plastic container which balances and satisfies all of the following characteristics at high levels, i.e., thin, having self-sustainability and configuration maintainability, and having high space efficiency.
A second aspect of the present invention is a plastic container according to the first invention, wherein the plastic container is formed from HDPE (high density polyethylene) or LDPE (low density polyethylene).
By using the HDPE and the LDPE, the plastic container has high chemical resistance, has excellent impact resistance, and does not generate harmful gas even if the container is incinerated. Further, it is easy to recycle the container as a resource.
A third aspect of the present invention is a plastic container according to the first or second aspect, wherein the average thickness of the bottom portion is 0.8 to 5 mm.
Because the average thickness of the bottom portion is increased in this way, the self-sustainability of the container can be raised.
A fourth aspect of the present invention is a plastic container according to any one of the first through third aspects, wherein the plastic container is molded in accordance with an injection blow molding method.
In accordance with the injection blow molding method, it is easy to form the above-configured plastic container having excellent dimensional accuracy. Especially, it is easy to reduce the thickness of the trunk portion and increase the thickness of the portion other than the trunk portion.
A fifth aspect of the present invention is a plastic container comprising a bottom portion which has a substantially rectangular bottom surface, a trunk portion which is formed by four planes which rise up vertically from respective sides of the bottom surface and which is substantially rectangular pipe-shaped, a mouth portion whose cross-sectional area of a portion surrounded by a horizontal cross section is smaller than the horizontal cross-sectional area of the trunk portion, and a shoulder portion which is narrowed down from the trunk portion to the mouth portion, wherein: the amount of the contents of the plastic container is 800 to 3000 ml; the average thickness of the trunk portion is 0.2 to 0.7 mm; the ratio of a length H of the trunk portion to a length L of a diagonal line of a rectangle formed by the outer periphery of a horizontal cross section of the trunk portion (H/L) is 2 to 4; each of vertexes of the rectangle formed by the outer periphery of the horizontal cross section of the trunk portion forms an arc-shaped configuration so that a radius R of curvature of the vertex is 3 to 20 mm; a removal opening is provided at the inner periphery of the mouth portion and is closed by a seal member which can be punched by one of a pipe-shaped body and a rod-shaped body; and the plastic container is used for the purpose of containing photographic processing chemicals.
As the container for photographic processing chemicals having the removal opening, which is provided at the inner periphery of the mouth portion and is closed by the seal member which can be punched by the pipe-shaped body or the rod-shaped body, it is desirable that the plastic container is elongated, has a certain amount of volume, has high space efficiency, has self-sustainability and configuration maintainability, and is friendly to the environment so that the container can be easily crushed.
Therefore, because the amount of the contents is 800 to 3000 ml, the container for photographic processing chemicals has a volume sufficient to meet all requirements. Since the container is elongated so that the ratio of the length H of the trunk portion to the length L of the diagonal line of the rectangle formed by the outer periphery of the horizontal cross section of the trunk portion (H/L) is 2 to 4 and the trunk portion is substantially rectangular pipe-shaped, high space efficiency is obtained. Because the average thickness of the trunk portion is small, i.e., 0.2 to 0.7 mm, the container is friendly to the environment in that the container can be easily crushed. Since each of the vertexes of the rectangle formed by the outer periphery of the horizontal cross section of the trunk portion forms an arc-shaped configuration so that the radius R of curvature of the vertex is 3 to 20 mm, good self-sustainability and configuration maintainability can be obtained.
A sixth aspect of the present invention is a method of supplying photographic processing chemicals, comprising: a holding step in which a container for photographic processing chemicals, in which the plastic container described in the fifth aspect is filled with photographic processing chemicals, is held above a replenishing tank of an automatic processor so that the removal opening of the container faces downwardly; an opening step in which the seal member of the container for photographic processing chemicals is pressed from below by a pipe-shaped body and the removal opening is opened; and a washing step in which washing water is injected into the container for photographic processing chemicals through the discharge opening formed at the pipe-shaped body and the interior of the container for photographic processing chemicals is washed.
Namely, first, in the holding step, the container for photographic processing chemicals, in which the plastic container of the fifth aspect of the present invention is filled with photographic processing chemicals, is held above the automatic processor so that the removal opening faces downwardly. At this time, the removal opening opposes the replenishing tank. The seal member for the removal opening is, for example, a thin film formed from aluminum, plastic, or the like. This seal member (thin film) is adhered to the edge of the removal opening such that the removal opening of the container for photographic processing chemicals is closed.
Further, the photographic processing chemicals included in the container for photographic processing chemicals may be liquid, paste, or powder.
Next, in the opening step, the seal member is pressed from below by the pipe-shaped body. In this way, the seal member is broken through and the discharge opening provided at the distal end of the pipe-shaped body is disposed within the container for photographic processing chemicals. Further, the photographic processing chemicals flow out from the container for photographic processing chemicals with the removal opening facing downwardly and replenished into the replenishing tank. Because the plastic container of the fifth aspect of the present invention has excellent configuration maintainability, when this is used as the container for photographic processing chemicals, it is difficult for the container to be crushed due to the reduction in the internal pressure thereof when the liquid flows out and, even if the container is crushed to some extent, the configuration thereof recovers due to the configuration maintainability of the container itself.
Next, in the washing step, the washing water is injected into the container for photographic processing chemicals through the discharge opening formed at the pipe-shaped body and the interior of the container for photographic processing chemicals is washed. Since the container for photographic processing chemicals is not deformed due to the crushing in the opening step, the storage of liquid or the like in the deformed portion does not occur and the inner surface of the container can be completely washed.
At this time, when the photographic processing chemicals are liquid, it is possible to wash even a small amount of the photographic processing chemicals adhered onto the inner side of the container for photographic processing chemicals. Further, when the photographic processing chemicals are paste, the photographic processing chemicals are diluted by the washing water and become liquid. Thus, even if the inner diameter of the removal opening is small, the photographic processing chemicals drop smoothly from the container for photographic processing chemicals, and all of the photographic processing chemicals remaining therein can be washed. Moreover, even if the photographic processing chemicals are powder and solidified due to water absorbed thereto, the photographic processing chemicals are dissolved into the washing water and become liquid. Thus, the photographic processing chemicals drop smoothly from the container for photographic processing chemicals, and the photographic processing chemicals remaining therein can be washed out. In this way, whether the photographic processing chemicals are liquid, paste, or powder, the interior of the container for photographic processing chemicals can be washed out and all of the photographic processing chemicals can be made to flow out in the washing step. As a result, after the washing step has been completed, only the washing solution is applied to the inner surface of the container for photographic processing chemicals.
In this way, in the method of supplying photographic processing chemicals of the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is easy to open the removal opening in the opening step by simply pressing the seal member by the pipe-shaped body. Unlike the conventional example, there is no need for an operation to remove a cap every time the photographic processing chemicals are supplied and the processing solutions are not applied to the operator""s hands or clothes. At this time, since the container for photographic processing chemicals has excellent self-sustainability, it is difficult for the container to be crushed due to the reduction in the internal pressure thereof when the liquid flows out and, even if the container is crushed to some extent, the configuration thereof recovers due to the configuration maintainability of the container itself.
Further, since the container for photographic processing chemicals is washed in the washing step, whether the photographic processing chemicals are liquid, paste, or powder, all of the photographic processing chemicals can be flowed out from the container. At this time, since the configuration of the container for photographic processing chemicals remains as it is, the storage of liquid or the like in the deformed portion does not occur and the inner surface of the container can be completely washed.
Moreover, because the pipe-shaped body which has pressed the seal member is disposed within the container for photographic processing chemicals, the washing solution can be discharged through the discharge opening which is continuously formed at the pipe-shaped body and operation between the steps is not wasted.
The interior of the container for photographic processing chemicals is washed in this way and dried as occasion demands. The container for photographic processing chemicals can be reused as it is or disposed for recycling.
A seventh aspect of the present invention is a device for supplying photographic processing chemicals, comprising: holding means which holds a container for photographic processing chemicals, being the plastic container of the fifth aspect of the present invention filled with photographic processing chemicals, above a replenishing tank of an automatic processor so that the removal opening of the container faces downwardly; a pipe-shaped body which is provided at the automatic processor so that the pipe-shaped body is able to be raised and lowered, the pipe-shaped body pressing from below the seal member of the container for photographic processing chemicals held by the holding means and opening the removal opening; a discharge opening formed at the pipe-shaped body; and supply means which is provided at the automatic processor and supplies washing water to the pipe-shaped body and discharges the washing water through the discharge opening.
Namely, in the device for supplying photographic processing chemicals, the container for photographic processing chemicals, in which the plastic container of the fifth aspect of the present invention is filled with the photographic processing chemicals, is held by the holding means provided above the automatic processor. At this time, the container for photographic processing chemicals is held so that the removal opening thereof faces downwardly.
The pipe-shaped body provided at the automatic processor is raised. The pipe-shaped body presses the seal member from below and opens the removal opening. For example, when the seal member is a thin film made from aluminum, plastic, or the like and is adhered to the edge of the removal opening, this thin film is penetrated. By simply raising the pipe-shaped body in this way, the removal opening can be easily opened. At this time, the discharge opening formed at the distal end of the pipe-shaped body is disposed within the container for photographic processing chemicals.
Since the container for photographic processing chemicals is held by the holding means with the removal opening facing downwardly, when the removal opening is opened, the photographic processing chemicals within the container flow out. Because the plastic container of the fifth aspect of the present invention has excellent configuration maintainability, when the plastic container is used as the container for photographic processing chemicals, it is difficult for the container to be crushed due to the reduction in the internal pressure thereof when the liquid flows out and, even if the container is crushed to some extent, the configuration thereof recovers due to the configuration maintainability of the container itself.
Next, the washing water is supplied to the pipe-shaped body by the supply means and discharged through the discharge opening. Since the container for photographic processing chemicals is not deformed by the crushing in the opening step, the storage of liquid or the like in the deformed portion does not occur and the inner surface of the container can be completely washed.
At this time, when the photographic processing chemicals are liquid, it is possible to wash even a small amount of the photographic processing chemicals applied to the inner side of the container for photographic processing chemicals. When the photographic processing chemicals are paste, the photographic processing chemicals are diluted by the washing water and become liquid. Thus, even if the inner diameter of the removal opening is small, the photographic processing chemicals drop smoothly from the container for photographic processing chemicals, and all of the photographic processing chemicals remaining therein can be washed. Moreover, even if the photographic processing chemicals are powder and solidified due to water absorbed thereto, the photographic processing chemicals are dissolved into the washing water and become liquid. Thus, the photographic processing chemicals can drop smoothly. In this way, only the washing solution is applied to the inner surface of the container for photographic processing chemicals.
In this way, in the device for supplying photographic processing chemicals of the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is easy to open the removal opening by simply raising the pipe-shaped body to press the seal member. Unlike the conventional example, there is no need for an operation to remove a cap every time the photographic processing chemicals are supplied, and the processing solutions are not applied to the operator""s hands or clothes. At this time, since the container for photographic processing chemicals has excellent configuration maintainability, it is difficult for the container to be crushed due to the reduction in the internal pressure thereof when the liquid flows out and, even if the container is crushed to some extent, the configuration thereof recovers due to the configuration maintainability of the container itself.
Further, since the washing water is supplied to the pipe-shaped body and discharged through the discharge opening by the supply means, whether the photographic processing chemicals are liquid, paste, or powder, all of the photographic processing chemicals can be allowed to flow out from the container for photographic processing chemicals. At this time, since the configuration of the container for photographic processing chemicals remains as it is, the storage of liquid or the like in the deformed portion does not occur, and the inner surface of the container can be completely washed.
The interior of the container for photographic processing chemicals which has been washed in this way is dried as occasion demands. The container for photographic processing chemicals can be reused as it is or disposed for recycling.